Ethan McSweeny News

Quintessence Theatre Group continues its second season with Jean Anouilh's 1943 adaptation of Sophocles' ANTIGONE, in a translation by Jeremy Sams, directed by Alexander Burns.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor.

Primary Stages continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new comedy, Rx, written by Kate Fodor.

Off-Broadway's Page 73 Productions has announced playwright Max Posner as the recipient of the 2012 P73 Playwriting Fellowship.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor. Directed by Ethan McSweeny (Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Sabina in 2005 at Primary Stages) the cast features Michael Bakkensen (Noises Off, Festen), Marylouise Burke (Fuddy Meers, Into The Woods, Is He Dead?), Marin Hinkle ("Two and a Half Men", Electra), Stephen Kunken (Rock 'n' Roll, Frost/Nixon), Paul Niebanck (In the Next Room…, Shockheaded Peter), and Elizabeth Rich (Cherry Orchard, A Tale of Two Cities). Meet the cast and creative team for the production below!

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2011-2012 Season with the return of Ethan McSweeny (The Merchant of Venice, The Persians, Ion, Major Barbara) directing Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

Though originally scheduled to only run through January 1, The Shakespeare Theatre Company will extend performances of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, through January 7, 2012.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) continues its 27th season with the world premiere of the new play, Rx, written by Kate Fodor.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2011-2012 Season with the return of Ethan McSweeny (The Merchant of Venice, The Persians, Ion, Major Barbara) directing Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2011-2012 Season with the return of Ethan McSweeny (The Merchant of Venice, The Persians, Ion, Major Barbara) directing Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2011-2012 Season with the return of Ethan McSweeny (The Merchant of Venice, The Persians, Ion, Major Barbara) directing Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

November has over 60 more openings in the professional, community, universities, and children's theaters in the DC/MD/VA area. A week has already passed in November and over 20 new productions have opened. To read reviews of these shows, go to Maryland Theatre Guide, where I am the Editor and a columnist. A recent back surgery kept me from posting this earlier, so we have some catching up to do.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) concludes its run of the critically acclaimed new play, Motherhood Out Loud, conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2011-2012 Season with the return of Ethan McSweeny (The Merchant of Venice, The Persians, Ion, Major Barbara) directing Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) concludes its run of the critically acclaimed new play, Motherhood Out Loud, conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein

Sarah Rasmussen, who will co-produce the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Black Swan Lab in 2012, was among this year's winners of the 2011 Princess Grace Awards.

The annual Primary Stages November Night to Remember Gala, a fundraiser benefiting the extensive artistic development programs offered by the company, will be held at the Edison Ballroom (240 west 47th Street, between Broadway & 8th Avenue) on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction begin at 6:30 p.m. Broadway producer David Richenthal (Pulitzer winners The Kentucky Cycle, The Young Man from Atlanta, I am my Own Wife) serves as the Event Chair.

Quintessence Theatre Group launches its second season with two classic comedies: Carlo Goldoni's THE VENETIAN TWINS, in a translation by Ranjit Bolt, and William Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, to be presented in repertory and directed by Alexander Burns.

Now, Michael Riedel reports in the New York Post that the play is getting closer to Broadway with a new reading set for Friday in New York, featuring Beau Bridges, his daughter Emily and Shuler Hensley. Riedel also reports that Justin Timberlake who has been looking for a theatre project will be 'approached' for the role of the show's young legal protege, Jack Brigance, played out of town by Sebastian Arcelus. There's no word on a potential timeline for the show, or if Timberlake is interested in the part.

PAGE 73 PRODUCTIONS (Liz Jones & Asher Richelli, Executive Directors) will present the New York premiere of Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's Lidless, recipient of a 'Fringe First' at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and winner of the 2009 Yale Drama Series Award and the Keene Prize for Literature (from the University of Texas, Austin). This Off-Broadway limited engagement at WalkerSpace (46 Walker Street) begins Tuesday, September 20th and continues through Saturday, October 15th only. Opening Night is set for Wednesday, September 28th.